India, May 10 -- A trip to the Caribbean dazzles with its Instagram-worthy beaches and vibrant, yet laidback lifestyle. But if turquoise-hued water is your top priority, you don't need to venture outside of the U.S. to plan a memorable summer escape.

The Northern Michigan town of Petoskey, overlooking Little Traverse Bay, has one of the best vantage points of Lake Michigan's famously blue-green shoreline. While you'll be swapping salt for silica and sand for stones (the spotted and elusive Petoskey variety, if you're lucky), the sun-kissed, wavy horizon will trick the eye into thinking you're tanning in Turks and Caicos or biking along the Bermuda coast.

"There is a ton to do all year round, especially if you like being outside," Peto...